The blood of the Senju clan appeared among the civilians of the village. Strictly speaking, it wasn't all that surprising.
After fighting with all their might during the First and Second Hokage's era, the Senju suffered heavy casualties. Many survivors eventually intermarried with ordinary villagers and outsiders.
So, the Senju bloodline flowing among Konoha's civilians was not unusual.
What was unusual… was someone like Yuichi, whose existence was still clearly recorded.
"Did we miss something…?"
The Third Hokage muttered as he flipped through Yuichi's file.
On the third page, in the column for "Parents," the word deceased was written.
"It seems this kid might not have long…"
The Hokage set the file aside, not planning to look at it further. But then, a thought struck him.
He picked up the file again and examined it closely.
"A Water Style ninja… Could it be this kid?"
His gaze shifted toward the window as his mind wandered. Finally, he opened a drawer and took out his crystal ball.
This boy had piqued his interest.
But—when Hiruzen tried to locate Yuichi through the crystal ball, nothing appeared.
"Ninjutsu failure? Impossible… That only happens if he's outside the village."
The Hokage frowned. A Genin of Yuichi's age had no reason to leave the village so casually.
This only made him more certain—Yuichi might be the one who defeated Sasuke.
Chuckling faintly, he put the crystal ball away.
Meanwhile, Yuichi was racing at full speed toward the Valley of the End.
He had no idea that the old man Hokage had already set his eyes on him—
all because of Kakashi's suspicions, a single line of information, and the fact that he was a "civilian ninja."
Something Yuichi would never have imagined.
Right now, Yuichi's only thought was to hurry to the Valley of the End and push his ninjutsu mastery to the next level.
With his perfect-level Three Body Technique, even complex jutsu felt natural—seals formed almost effortlessly, sometimes even one-handed.
The difference compared to mid-level ninjutsu was exhilarating.
If I can raise the Great Waterfall Technique to perfect level… With my infinite chakra, I could unleash floods without end.
The thought alone made him impatient.
Arriving at the Valley of the End, Yuichi glanced at the sky.
"Noon. I still have the whole afternoon."
"The Great Waterfall Technique must reach perfect level today. It'd be even better if I can find a way to boost all Water Style proficiency at once."
He leapt from the waterfall into the pool below and began by practicing water-walking. The results weren't great.
Let's try tree climbing first.
With his Wood-Style-enhanced physique, falls weren't a concern. He expected to master it quickly.
An hour later, tree climbing practice ended—but the results were disappointing. His chakra control still needed a lot more work.
Well, I can always practice wall-walking at night. For now, I should focus on raising my ninjutsu proficiency.
He clenched his fists.
"Alright. First ninjutsu—S-rank. Water Style: Hard Vortex Water Blade. Let's see what you can do!"
He exhaled slowly.
It was his first time using an S-rank ninjutsu, and even Yuichi felt excited.
The seals began—twenty-five in total. It took him nearly twenty seconds to complete them.
"This speed… there's no way I could use this in a real battle."
He glanced at the system panel. To raise the Hard Vortex Water Blade to intermediate level, it required 10,000 proficiency points.
Each cast—twenty seconds for a single use—barely raised it.
Even with infinite chakra, I'd need over two days of non-stop training… just to hit intermediate level. That's insane.
Yuichi clicked his tongue.
Looks like I'll need the Shadow Clone Technique. Otherwise, this will take forever.
Even as he thought about it, the final seal was completed.
For the first time, Yuichi felt his chakra being consumed.
A hollow, draining sensation spread through his body—something he had never experienced before.
So this is S-rank ninjutsu…
But the emptiness vanished almost immediately as his body flooded with new chakra, instantly restoring what was lost.
Then—
BOOM!
A torrent of water spun violently into existence around Yuichi's arm, roaring like a jet turbine.
The spiraling water grew into a massive drill, shaking his arm with intense vibration.
With a sharp cry, Yuichi hurled it downward like a javelin.
WHOOSH!
The Hard Vortex Water Blade expanded mid-air, forming a colossal water tornado.
When it struck the pool, the world exploded.
KRAAAASH!
Water roared skyward, drawn into a spiraling maelstrom. The pool was nearly emptied as the tornado raged, crashing against the statues of Hashirama and Madara.
Yuichi landed lightly, raising his eyes to the towering vortex of water.
For several long seconds it howled, before finally collapsing into a torrential downpour that drenched the valley.
Soaked to the bone, Yuichi stared at the pool.
Once modest in size, it had been widened several times over by that single jutsu.
This is the power of an S-rank ninjutsu…
He clenched his fists, excitement burning in his chest.
If I can reach perfect level—if I can unleash this without seals… what kind of scene would it be?